Privacy is an elusive phantom of a concept on the internet. Our promised privacy is hacked into, sold out, and often just not carefully guarded enough. All of those are true of Facebook at one time or another.

The hotbed issue is when private and professional mix and employers get involved. Ashely Payne was fired for putting her personal life on Facebook. Due to a paperwork technicality, she can’t fight to get her job back. My mistake — she technically resigned. I think our collective intelligence has been technically insulted.[1]

People ought to be entitled to their personal lives. However, where is the line between personal and professional drawn? There are also instances of people going on Facebook and complaining about their jobs or bosses and also being fired. I think the question is how are Facebook and other social networks defined? Are they purely personal or are they professional as well? Should they be a private place where people can post whatever they want? Is that possible on the internet?

In addition to personal information that could threaten current employment, employers check Facebook during the interview process to screen potential employees for work. I’m wondering if Facebook has become an inexpensive way for employers to circumvent consensual, informed, and approved background checks. Does the fact that people know employers check give employers implicit permission to research through Facebook?

Feel free to weigh in with your opinions.

I’m not sure there are any quick answers to any of this. I’ll be revisiting these issues in future posts.

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2 Responses to “Privacy, Facebook, & Employment”

Maybe I am too open, but as an adult survivor of abuse, when the subject of privacy comes up I cringe at the thought that I am required to be silent.

Last night I watched PBS (love that PUBLIC tv station !) and some adults who had been diagnosed with Adult Attention (something) Disorder were “coming out of the closet” for the first time. How brave ! Yet I am sad to think that some (ignorant) folk may ridicule their behavior in an effort to hide in their own lethargic lifestyle. There is real fear in admitting to “Mainstream America” that you are not exactly like they are …. but who exactly is the “they” and who is the we ? Who gets to decide when it is okay to be different ?

And what happens when being different is the result of a dis-ease or some traumatic event that is beyond the control of the individual ? One of my maternal ancestors spent over 10 years of her life in the now defunct Norwich State Hospital. Her own family (NOT the KEACH side. The “other” side of the family) was embarrassed and would not go visit her while she was a “mental patient”. Can you imagine !?

The grief no longer controls me because I do not give it that power to so effect my life ! I may be required to suffer with PTSD, but I am NOT required to ALWAYS be a “victim”.

There are some really bad people “out there”, to be sure. In my opinion, there is not much difference between the person that e-mails me and outrageously expects me to willingly hand over my identity … and a prospective “employer” who is dubiously motivated to eavesdrop, snoop and otherwise go out of their way to locate information with which to incriminate someone.

C’mon, people (and I use that tern loosely), can’t we “live and let live ?” Why be so quick to judge someone else ? When I notice that someone has targeted me — and usually I do not deserve to be in someone’s crosshairs !!! — I start to wonder about what is inside that person. If I want a job it is because I am good at something and I know I can do that job well.

I can tell that PRIVACY has become a target and I, for one, intend to NOT go quietly into that “dark night”. I support cautious use. Be mindful of what you put on the internet, but do not let fear of what could happen cripple your own freedom. If you choose to say that your boss is a slob on FB I hope you also have the courtesy to say it to their face as well !

Monica, as eloquent as always, posted this thoughtful response to my blog. Monica lives what she writes. She has overcome great difficulties to be a successful business owner. She now owns and operates Thread One Bead 2 in New Hampshire. http://www.bead1threadtoo.com/ She also serves at the current Vice President of the Bead Society of New Hampshire. http://www.beadsocietyofnewhampshire.org/